Long and tortuous path, Rick. Things we do for our love of photography.

I started with Pentax ME Super and a fast 50mm prime in 1980. I loved that combo and learned photography with it. From many exciting experiences with it one stuck to my mind more than others; using shallow dof to isolate subject/point of interest and beauty of bokeh. During this time I had the opportunity to use Nikon F3 too from a good friend, I liked it very much. So, I planned, in future when it was time to get a 'real camera' it would be a Nikon F series camera.

But life is what happens to you when you are planning other things.

After becoming a doctor and after the death of Pentax I couldn't do photography for many years. Then many wildlife images in National Geographic (and similar) brought me be back to photography in 2003. I started with FZ series and in 2006 I was ready for a DSLR. So, I decided to get a Nikon. To my disappointment I discovered that Canon was The Man in wildlife photography, Nikon was a teenager (things have changed since then). Moreover Canon had 5D, Nikon didn't have an answer. With great reluctance and uncertainty I bought 5D, 100-400 and 24-70. Since then I bought many L lenses (two 1.2 primes for my shallow dof craziness) and upgraded 5D bodies. Never been disappointed with my equipment, they never were the limitation for my photography, I was.

My photography is about expression and storytelling. It is like a poem or painting where you try to feel and convey the inner meaning and beauty. Going beyond what you see or read. I am not a fan of postcard style landscapes or magazine style portraits. Edge to edge sharpness doesn't excite me, but interplay of light, shadow (not lifting), mood/atmosphere and composition do.

Anyways, I bought D600 (along with 24-85 kit lens and 14-24/2.8) several months ago because I always wanted to get a Nikon. I also wanted to use its great shadow lifting capabilities. Am I happy with it? That's another story.

This is a great time for photographers irrespective of the brand one uses. So, let's smile